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Below is an editorial by Steve and Elaine Pozycki. They are board members of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey with Elaine serving as Co-Chair. ------------------------------------------------Editorial: Guidelines recently issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention take direct aim at the over-prescribing of opiate-based painkillers, urging primary care doctors to try alternatives such as physical therapy, exercise and over-the-counter pain medications first.

Next Friday April 15, 2016, PDFNJ will be hosting the first statewide comprehensive forum on Rx and Heroin Abuse examining the epidemic's beginnings, it's current impact in NJ, and specific plans to reverse this current trend. We are happy to report that the forum which will feature national and state experts is filled to capacity. It is gratifying and encouraging that so many individuals and groups throughout NJ will be attending this important forum focusing on saving lives. This upcoming forum was featured on Chris DeBello’s radio show, "Issues and Ideas" on April 3rd.

I had the opportunity to participate in a press conference on Monday hosted by St. Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson. Senator Menendez, Senator Booker, and Congressman Pascrell were on hand to announce St. Joseph’s as the first hospital in the nation to stop prescribing opioids in their ER. Please share this news with your local hospital and ask them to join St. Joseph’s Hospital. Together we can start changing the culture of over-prescribing a drug that can be addictive and dangerous.

The release of the new "CDC Comprehensive Guidelines for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain" is a solid first step addressing the opioid abuse epidemic we are facing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging primary care doctors to try physical therapy, exercise and over-the-counter pain medications before prescribing opioids for pain. These recommendations are in line with several experts who have participated in PDFNJ's Do No Harm symposium series. However, we know that these guidelines alone are not enough. Education is the key factor in preventing the abuse of opiates and it is vital that physicians inform patients of the potential for dependency when their medicine is prescribed, as well as discuss alternatives as outlined in the CDC guidelines. It is also important for patients, or the parents of patients, to ask their prescriber about the pain medicine they are prescribed.

As we are hearing all too often from parents, coaches, and police many of our children who are addicted to heroin were introduced to this disease as a result of receiving an opiate prescription for a sports injury. The following video and article quotes the director, David Gerber, of St. Christopher's Inn in Garrison, NY explaining how, "These medications mask the pain but do nothing to treat the injury, …so it often worsens the injury, making the need for more medications, and they become addicted." Please share this blog with other families because it's crucial that everyone is aware of the addictive qualities certain medications prescribed to their children for sports injuries that occur.

As the Heroin Epidemic continues to impact small towns, suburbs and cities throughout the country the National Governors Association has recently tackled the issue in this recent New York Times editorial. They are developing recommendations that include revised prescribing protocols and more active patient education. New Jersey's legislature has also been developing their own response that include a bill that would require doctors to have a conversation with parents of child prior to prescribing any opioids and also recommending alternative treatment options when they are available.

Over the last two years the Partnership has hosted with the support of the DEA-NJ, prevention organizations, and health care systems a series called “Do No Harm” that engaged doctors, dentists, prevention, treatment, and law enforcement representatives to explore ways each group can help to end the prescription drug and heroin epidemic in New Jersey. A recent study demonstrates how important the NJ “Do No Harm” symposium series truly is. In fact, “This research underscores the critical importance of engaging health care providers fully in public health efforts to reverse the course of the prescription drug epidemic,” the researchers wrote in the Pain Physician Journal.

The story of a young man who tragically succumbed to a heroin addiction has become all too common in New Jersey. In the story below, Justin Wolfe’s parents talk about their ignorance of his addiction. Parents must be given vital medical information about their children. When a child is given a prescription for a potentially addictive medicine, parents need to be aware so they can look for the signs and symptoms of abuse - and get the lifesaving treatment that child needs. The Wolfe’s are an example of a NJ family that turned their loss into a national and statewide effort to help others. Please read their compelling story.

I had the opportunity today to speak to the New Jersey Senate Health Committee as they examined the current status of the prescription drug and Heroin Epidemic in New Jersey. NJTV was one of several NJ new organization to cover the hearing.